Better than perfect
by fixusi
Summary: Kili wants a bow, but Thorin thinks that it is too elvish for dwarves. But after an incident with goblins Thorin might change his mind. Slight hurt!Kili and hurt!Fili, fatherly Thorin and brotherly love. A simple one-shot! Pre-book


AN: So I had literally no idea what to write but I needed to write something, so here's a little fic for you. :) Pre-series. Thorin is being a little mean in the beginning but he just can't stand elves. :S

Disclaimer: I do not own Hobbit

* * *

"You can ask him, Kili, he will not bite", Fili chuckled at Kili, who was sitting in front of him. Kili played with the bright-green grass underneath him, not answering his brother. How could he confront their uncle and tell him that his choice of weapon would be a bow instead of a war-hammer or a sword or an axe? Kili knew what Thorin's reaction would be like, and he was concerned, to say at least.

Fili snorted and eyed his younger brother. It was time for Kili to pick a weapon -naturally, all of them had to learn how to use a sword, but everyone still had a chance to choose another weapon as well- and Kili had done his decision. The only problem would be their uncle, even Fili knew it, but it didn't stop him from trying to cheer up his worrying brother. "Don't be so worried, I'm sure it will be fine for uncle Thorin."

"I wouldn't be so sure about it", Kili shook his head, lifting his gaze up to meet Fili's eyes. "He always keeps telling how bow is an elvish weapon. But I can't help liking it! Bow would be handy in many situations, if only uncle would understand it."

And Fili had to admit that it was true. "It would be handy. You wouldn't have to be so close to the enemy if you had a bow and not a sword", Fili stated the obvious and Kili nodded, "and you would be also safe."

Kili let out a frustrated sigh and buried his face into his palms. "He will never let me have a bow."

"He will", Fili laughed, trying to keep the conversation light. "The only thing he cares about is that you're safe, and with a bow- if you tell him that, I am sure it's more than fine to him. I bet he will buy you a brand new bow afterwards!"

The thought made Kili smirk a little. "Never."  
"Just believe me, Kili", Fili smiled, "I know our uncle. Even if he thinks it might be an elvish choice of weapon, he always puts us first. Our safety, you know."

It was an abnormally sunny day. Thorin had gone to get them food and Dis was out of the town, so it was just the two of them at that moment. Normally they would've gone to the city or they would wander around the hills surrounding them, but since someones had to take care of the house.. It was a duty neither of the Durin brothers liked but had to do.

Kili grinned, concentrating on the grass again. He always did that when he was nervous, Fili noticed; he always had to do something with his hands.

"So just tell him as soon as he arrives", Fili said with a warm tone. "I assure you, he'll be okay with it."

The younger brother shrugged. "I hope so. Anyways, fine, I'll do it when he comes back. But promise me that when he's done yelling at me, we'll go somewhere and practice. It has been a few days, Fili, I miss shooting at things."

Fili nodded with a smirk and breathed out a bit heavily, but still merrily. "It would be more than alright for me. I've been looking forward to winning you in a battle again, little brother!"  
"Come on, I've won a few times!"  
"But when you think of how many times we've had a duel.."  
"You are the one that uses a sword like it's your own hand, Fili. Not me."

A laugh was the only thing Fili could blur out, and a comfortable silence fell on them as Kili leaned back and crossed his hands behind his head, shifting a little to get a nice position.

* * *

Kili opened the door to their home and tried to relax as his hands kept shaking even though he had for many minutes now tried to stop them. He didn't quite understand why he was this nervous -like his brother had said, it wouldn't be a big deal for Thorin. A weapon was a weapon regardless what kind it was. Repeating that once more in his mind, he stepped in.

"Fili?" echoed Thorin's voice from the other room.  
"No, it's me", Kili replied, forcing himself to calm down. It wouldn't be a problem for Thorin, a bow was a weapon like every other weapon. And if it even was an elvish weapon, so what? Kili didn't understand why everything that even seemed to be elvish made his uncle angry and negative towards that thing.

He could hear Thorin opening a drawer. "Where did you leave your brother, Kili?" asked his uncle. Kili shook his shoulders even though he knew Thorin couldn't possibly see that.

"He's outside somewhere."  
"Strange, it is a beautiful day and you are not outside together", Thorin laughed from the other room. Kili smirked.  
"I guess so. Anyways, I have a question for you, uncle."

Kili strolled through the room, taking a deep breath in. _It would be fine,_ he kept telling himself.

"You have?" Thorin asked as Kili appeared to the same room. His younger nephew nodded. "Okay. What is it?"

_You can do it, Kili_. "I, uhm, it's about the weapon I'd like to have. You told me it's the time to pick something else than a sword."  
"Yes", Thorin nodded, eyeing Kili. His deep-brown eyes focused on Kili's, who quickly turned his head away. Suddenly the wall became so interesting for the youngest of them. He had indeed told the young one of their family to choose something else he could practice with, because even though he was pretty good with a sword, he was sure Kili could find some other weapon he could handle like it was his own hand.

"I have done my decision", Kili blurt out. Suddenly he was not prepared for this, not at all.  
"And that is..?" Thorin asked as Kili did not continue soon enough.

_Seem sure about this, _Kili told himself and made himself grin. Because why shouldn't he be sure about that? It was just a stupid weapon.

"A bow", Kili said, his eyes on Thorin, trying to figure out his reaction. Never had Kili hoped for a 'of course' as much as in that moment.

For Kili's surprise, Thorin wasn't even angry even though his eyes immediately narrowed. "A bow?" Thorin replied, raising an eyebrow. Kili couldn't do anything else than nod.

"Bow as a weapon? I thought I had made myself clear when I told you -and your brother- that bows are only for hunting." Thorin's tone was a bit cold.

Kili nodded, biting his lower lip. "I know, but uncle, bow would be a handy weapon. I could shoot enemies without them even noticing me. I would be safe."  
"But in a close-range situations you would have to waste time by drawing out your sword. In a battle every second counts, Kili."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Kili shook his head. "No, uncle. And as you've put it, I surely will never have to go to a battle, so it's.. it doesn't count." Kili had decided that he wants a bow, and a bow he would have. Nobody, not even his one and only uncle Thorin, could stop that from happening. Still, he would feel a lot better if he had his uncle's approval.

"We are not elves, Kili", Thorin replied in a strict voice. "Only elves use a bow as a weapon. And I know what I have said, and I still believe that you will most likely never go through a battle or a war, but in that case it's even stupider to have a bow. When you have nothing to shoot at, expect for trees and small animals we eat."

"It would -will- not be stupid. I assure you, uncle, that it would be the best weapon for me."  
"For the last time, we are not elves and we will never be elves. And in that case you will not get a bow."

Kili felt like screaming. How could his uncle be so blind? A stupid little argument many decades ago led his uncle to be this narrow-minded. Bows were not an elvish weapon even though elves preferred them; some of the dwarves had a bow as well.

"You know, uncle, we use swords a lot. But the mightiest swords ever made are made by elves. So why don't you tell everyone not to use them?"

Thorin's eyes concentrated on Kili even harder than earlier and he shifted on his feet, crossing his arms on his chest. Kili hold his stubborn face and glared back at his uncle.

"No", Thorin said with a sure, cold voice and shook his head. "You will not get a bow, Kili. End of the discussion."

Kili narrowed his eyes. "Why is it so bad? It's a _weapon. _It does not differ from a sword or an axe! Why can't I have one, tell me one good reason."  
"Because I say so!" Thorin almost yelled with an almost-angry voice. "Now _go outside _or for Mahal's sake, I will throw you out myself."

For a-bit-too-long-while silence fell on them. Kili glowered Thorin and Thorin stared him back. But finally Kili shook his head, spun around and left the room without saying anything else.

* * *

Fili kept his head low as Kili kept complaining about Thorin. Fili didn't even remember how many times now he had heard Kili tell him that their uncle was a narrow-minded, cruel dwarf who kept putting his own beliefs in front of everyone else's.

"It is an elvish weapon", Kili said, mimicking Thorin's voice. "We are not elves, now go out or I will throw you out! What a great uncle we have, Fili."  
"Don't be so hard on him", Fili muttered, not really wanting to step up to their uncle but knowing that Kili was just angry and wasn't thinking straight. "He'll think about it and realize that bow is a good choice. Just give him some time."  
"I will be waiting for a good while, then", Kili sighed, sounding frustrated.

They were heading towards the forest nearby, where they always went if they wanted to practice. There was a small clearing not far from the edge of the forest, a perfect place for training. It was hidden but not too far, private but close enough to their home if anything happened. Far enough that their yells didn't echo to the home of theirs -they weren't exactly the quietest type when they battled against each other-, but close enough to run back if something did happen. Like I already told you, a perfect place.

"Cheer up, little brother, we're almost there. You have your bow and I have my swor-"  
"Yes, my cute, little bow I made two years ago. It's almost broken, you see that crack over there?"  
"It's not that bad, you can still use it. And I'm sure that in no time Thorin will be buying you a real bow and some good arrows."

Kili shrugged, hoping his brother was right. But if you thought about it, Fili was quite often right.

After a while they finally arrived at the clearing they had found not long ago. "I've missed this place", Kili chuckled, "and it's only been few days."

Fili grinned, nodding. "Me too. But before we get too comfortable in here, shall we start?"  
"I thought you'd never ask", Kili laughed, forgetting their uncle for a moment.

Kili started off by shooting. He needed to work on his aiming even though he was already good, well, at least Fili told him so. And Fili started by creating nice, deep cuts to the trees surrounding them. Most of the time Kili couldn't even spot Fili's sword before it had already hit the tree with such a force it would surely decapitate someone in a real battle.

Next, Kili tried to use his sword. Fili always gave him small tips, trying to help his brother a little. Not that Kili needed much help, but it was obvious that Fili was the best with a sword in their family and friends. After Thorin, of course.

"No, Kili, you might need to try to hold the sword a bit looser. If you grab it tight like that you can't move it around as freely", Fili smirked.  
"But won't it fall if a real battle comes?" Kili asked, a bit unsure.  
"It won't. Here, let me show you.."

A long while went by just practicing. They were both so into the shooting and hitting things that the two goblins approaching got them totally off guard. Neither of them saw or heard them coming before the other grabbed Fili tightly and the other one grabbed Kili.

A yell escaped Kili's lips as he was forced to the ground by the ugly creature, his back hitting the -thank Mahal- soft ground. In an instant the goblin was on top of him, trying to get its long fingers around Kili's throat.

"Kili!" Fili's yell echoed into the younger's ears, and in panic Kili shot a quickl glance at his brother, seeing Fili in the exactly same situation. His blood ran cold as the goblin curled his fingers around Fili's throat despite the fight Fili put up.

"Get off of me!" Kili cried out, kicking the goblin with all the strength he had, managing to bring the goblin down. In a second Kili was up, immediately grabbing his sword from the ground where he dropped it, approaching the goblin that got Fili. Which, obviously, was a mistake.

The other goblin jumped up and threw its body at Kili's, making Kili fall hard on his stomach. From that position it was nearly impossible to shake the goblin off, as it sat on Kili's back and aimed for his throat again, his cold fingers making their way towards the bare skin beneath his head.

Kili bit his lip and tried to spin around, but the goblin was a lot heavier than it looked like. Fili cried out but Kili didn't have a chance to look at his brother, because before he could help Fili, he needed to free himself and kill the goblin on his back. And the sword was trapped underneath Kili's body, where it was unreachable because of the weight of the goblin holding Kili firmly down.

_My bow, _quickly crossed Kili's mind. _But to get it I need to get free-_

Kili let out a yell and violently kicked upwards as best as he could, actually managing to kick the goblin a little. Not that it did much. But after a couple failed attempts he finally could kick the creature hard enough to knock him a bit, and Kili used the second or two to escape from under the goblin.

The youngest of the dwarves shot up, taking the few steps to get to his bow, grabbed it and in a second the goblin laid on the ground with an arrow through its head. Wasting no time, Kili took another arrow and sent it flying towards the goblin, who was not fast enough to dodge.

Kili ran to his brother. "Fili!" he yelled, dropping on to his knees beside him. Fili had red bruises around his neck that would turn purple in a few minutes, Kili was sure of that. It would look nasty but it was probably nothing. Or so Kili hoped.

"I am fine", Fili said, eyeing Kili as he sat up. "Did it hurt you?"  
"Not at all, maybe just a couple of bruises or so", Kili replied shortly and shook his head. "I didn't know there were goblins in here!"

Fili bit his lower lip, massaging his neck a little. "Neither did I. And I am sure nobody else knew, because they would have warned us."  
"We should head back and tell Thorin and mom", Kili sighed.  
"That sounds great."

Silence was overwhelming as they headed back. Fili was glad neither of them had gotten hurt but it had been a close call -if Kili hadn't been there with his bow..

With his bow.

"Kili! You do realize that if it hadn't been for your bow, things could have turned out differently?"

Kili chuckled but shook his head. "I think that a sword would have done the trick as well."  
"But Thorin always says that every second counts in a battle. You would've wasted important seconds if you had to run to me instead of just shooting the goblin. Right?"

And well, Fili's words made sense. Thorin always did say that every second was important. Maybe if Kili told that as well.. Maybe.

* * *

"Kili? I've got something for you."

Kili raised his head as he heard his name. Thorin had come to the room so silently that neither of the brothers had heard him. "Really?"

Thorin smiled, nodding. "Yes. It's outside, waiting for you."

Kili and Fili exchanged a look and they both rose from their beds. It was late, and they should have been sleeping already, but neither of them were tired. Why sleep if you just didn't feel like it?

Together they made their way outside. And what was waiting outside was better than Kili would have ever thought -a new, shiny bow with a beautiful carvings on it. It had a white string on it and seven arrows lay next to it.

The youngest of them felt like jumping up and down, but controlled himself. "That's- that's a bow! And arrows! Are you out of your mind? I thought you said no bows for dwarves'!"

Thorin couldn't help a little laugh. "I know what I said, Kili, but I was proved wrong. I should have listened to you."

Fili glanced at his excited little brother, and smiled as Kili carefully took the bow, keeping it in his hand like it was the most precious thing in Middle-Earth.

"I had it made just for you", Thorin explained. "It should be light to carry and comfortable to use. I hope so, at least, because that thing cost me a lot of money."

Kili couldn't get his eyes off of the bow. It was perfect. "Don't worry, uncle, he loves it", Fili laughed, shaking his head. "Can't you see that?"

Thorin smiled, nodding. And as Kili enjoyed his new weapon, he felt good. He really hated elves, but Kili had been right -bow was just a weapon. A good weapon, to be honest.

"Hey, Fili?" Kili said, turning his head to see his brother better.  
"Mmhm?"  
"Could we go practice? I want to test this."

Fili laughed, nodding. "Sure. But we need to do it somewhere else than in the clearing. I'll never go back in there again."  
"Anywhere, I don't care, to be honest", Kili said, smirking. "Thank you, uncle! I love it. It's better than perfect."


End file.
